Development proposed for Big Lots spot

PORTSMOUTH — The owners of Southgate Plaza told a city committee Tuesday afternoon that they want to erect a five-story building where Big Lots is now located.

Jeff McMenemy

PORTSMOUTH — The owners of Southgate Plaza told a city committee Tuesday afternoon that they want to erect a five-story building where Big Lots is now located.

Douglas Richardson, director of development for Waterstone Retail, said the proposed building would feature retail on the ground floor and then four floors of apartments in the plaza off of Lafayette Road, next to Water Country.

"It will be no more than 110 units, which is (in) the direct spirit of the Gateway District," Richardson told the city's Technical Advisory Committee on Tuesday.

Richardson said the developers plan to present formal plans for the new building to the city within 60 to 90 days.

"This would happen completely in the footprint of Big Lots," Richardson said.

After the meeting, Richardson said he believes Southgate Plaza is a perfect location for the proposed building.

"We're very close to downtown and we're a stop on the bus line," he said.

Developers recently opened a new movie theater in the plaza, and the proposed retail/apartment building would be located close to it, Richardson said.

During a short appearance before the committee, Richardson told them he hoped that developers could hook into the water line on Constitution Avenue, which would help the plaza deal with low water pressure issues before a large residential building is begun.

"It is exactly 260 feet away," Richardson said.

But Department of Public Works Director Peter Rice, who is a member of the committee, said he would like to see the developers hire an engineer for a third-party study to make sure the proposed water line hook-up goes as smoothly as developers believe it will.

"I want to make sure we all go into this with our eyes open," Rice said.

He cautioned that they didn't want to cause any "unintended consequences" by allowing the plaza to hook up to the water line under Constitution Avenue.

"We need to look at the system as a whole," Rice said.

He added that "proposing a residential use makes it more important" that the issue is studied before any action is taken.

Richardson added after the meeting that developers are still "very early" in the process.

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